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NORTH KOREA: North Korea is one of the most socially and politically isolated countries in the world. Military orientated doctrine invades every facet of life and the population lives and breathes the State’s propaganda. Devotion to their ‘Dear Leader’, Kim Jong-il, borders on the religious. This collection of documentaries delves deep into the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to take an in-depth look at one of the most culturally isolated nations on Earth and its totalitarian leadership. When America and the Soviet Union called a ceasefire in 1945 they arbitrarily divided the Korean Peninsula along the 38th Parallel. No Koreans were consulted on this decision, which tore families apart and split the country.

Produced in 2003, Nuclear Nightmare: Understanding North Korea gives an overview of how North Korea became one of the most powerful regimes in the world. With interviews from former Secretary of State Madeline Albright and many other key players this documentary provides a global context for the nuclear situation. The compete obedience and discipline of the people is explored in The Juche Era when a Bulgarian film crew were allowed access in 2003. We see a populace dedicated to their country and blindly loyal to their leader, despite living in some of the harshest and controlled environments in the world. From the Pyongyang to the rural areas the government is omnipresent. Since 1995 over 800,000 North Koreans have snuck across the border into China in search of food for their families. Kim Jung-Eun documented the tragic tales of those that stayed illegally. Shadows and Whispers tells the stories of children and families that risk deportation and death rather than live under the brutal regime. Deeply moving, this Walkley Award winning documentary form 2000 lays bare the courage and determination of people just trying to survive. Powerful, compelling and insightful viewing.

Quick facts: • 37 per cent of children are chronically malnourished, • Life expectancy is 60 years for men and 66 for women, • All radios and televisions in North Korea are pre-tuned to government stations, • With an estimated 1.21 million personnel North Korea has the world’s fourth largest army, • The border, the 38th Parallel, is just 44 kilometres from the South’s capital Seoul, • Over two million people have starved to death in North Korea since 1995, • The State ideology is the ‘Juche Idea’ which preaches self-reliance